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Failed trying to shoot the Milky Way from a parking lot in Flagstaff
I drove out to Flagstaff last summer thinking any dark spot would work for astrophotography. Pulled into a Walmart lot around 2 AM and set up my tripod, but every shot came out orange and blurry. Turned out the streetlights and car headlights were ruining my long exposures even though it looked dark to my eyes. Lost about 3 hours of sleep messing with settings before I packed up and drove 20 miles deeper into the forest. Now I always check light pollution maps on my phone before I pick a spot. Anyone else have a shoot ruined by unexpected light sources?
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grantadams1mo ago
Man, I feel this hard. I did almost the exact same thing near Moab last year, set up in what looked like a dark patch by a gas station and ended up with this weird green glow from some security light I didn't even notice. @jamesf26 nailed it too with that window tint joke because my first couple attempts at fixing it in post just made everything look like a bad Instagram filter. Now I always drive at least 15 minutes past any town lights and pull up a light pollution map before I even take my lens cap off.
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jamesf262mo ago
Orange and blurry" sounds like you were shooting through car window tint on accident.
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